Total newby needs suggestion

Apologies in advance if this is in the wrong place; all of this is new to me.

I have a challenge to build a simple bench with an angled back. The problem is that I have ZERO wood working experience. What I do have is a miter saw, a drill, and a pile of 1x and 2×4’s. My design, up to this point, is attached as a jpg graphic. The back is angled at 10 degrees, to fit the overall space it is going in.

My question is what is the simplest way to get a reasonable connection between the bottom/base and the back? Notch the back around the base and then screw? Open to suggestions, presuming it is something I can pull off.

6 replies so far

Just about every bench I’ve seen made on YouTube is made with the back and rear leg cut as one solid piece with the back angled, and the seat is then attached to it.

Your diagram doesn’t show a rear leg. So if you aren’t going to have a rear leg, you might want to try a couple of things:

1. Bolt the back to the seat with at least 2 bolts (I’d put them diagonal to each other) per side. If you only use 1 bolt, then it would act as a pivot which you don’t want.2. Attach triangle supports to the sides of the seat and back,3. Attach a strip of wood diagonally from the back to the seat. You might even be able to use rope if it doesn’t stretch too much, just something to take the force away from that pivot point.

The back support needs to be one piece with the back leg or the front leg needs to extend upwards and an arm added to support the back. The forces of people leaning on the back as your diagram is showing will be too great on the pivot point where the back and seat connect and will fail over time. Also notching the back brace as shown will weaken the connection. Move the back brace to the inside to have the full dimension of the board to bolt through.

Ok. So we take the side member of the back piece (call it the brace) and move it inward, so it can be inside the side member of the seat portion. They can overlap and therefore be connected through both pieces, as suggested.

Presuming we use wood glue, do I need to use a pair of bolts all the way through, some 2 1/2” wood screws, or a combination of both?

I am thinking that if I do joint them like that, I can then use a rear leg to reinforce this. To “complete the triangle” as it were. Yes?